The SAD 1 school board met April 16 at Mapleton Elementary School.
Principal Dan Duprey welcomed the board and reviewed school achievements. Fifth graders performed a medley of songs from their recent school play, “European Explorers in the New World.”
Business Manager Lauren Kenneson reported the district was operating within budget. Superintendent Ben Greenlaw reported on a visit by an accreditation team to Presque Isle High School. He was pleased with the number of compliments he received regarding high school leadership and teaching staff, he said.
Budget workshops will start on April 30, and board members will adopt the budget on May 6 during a special meeting. The district will ask for a 3.19 percent tax increase. Following the regular school board meeting at 5:30 p.m. on May 20, the public vote will be held at 7 p.m. at Presque Isle High School.
Registrations for Mapleton pre-K classes have far exceeded the school’s capacity, Greenlaw said. A waitlist has been created and some children will have to attend pre-K classes at Pine Street Elementary School. Staff will be working with families to prepare them for the coming school year.
Greenlaw also addressed concerns about federal funding for district programs. The district uses special education funds, USDA nutrition funds and Department of Education program funds. The total from the three sources is approximately $1.5 million, and right now the district is uncertain what will happen based on decisions at the federal level, he said.
Administrators are monitoring the federal changes that may impact the district.
The district’s position on Title IX aligns with state law that prohibits discrimination, though that may not be in alignment with federal law, Greenlaw said. As a result, the district will have to hold the line and wait to see how issue plays out in the courts.
Tech Center director
The board also approved the appointment of Mapleton resident Joseph Greaves as director of career and technical education at the Presque Isle Tech Center.
Greaves will lead the center’s efforts to train students for entry-level and continuing employment opportunities and assisting them in making realistic educational and career decisions.
He lives in Mapleton with his wife, Kristi, and three sons. He is a 15-year member of the Mapleton Lions Club.
Greaves received a bachelor’s in science education from the University of Maine and a master’s in education from the University of New England. He started teaching science at Presque Isle Middle School in 2010, then transferred to the high school. In 2019 he became assistant principal.
Greaves will finish the school year as assistant principal and will become Tech Center director on July 1.
Mapleton Pageants
The Mapleton Daze Committee will host the annual pageants on Sunday, May 4, at Mapleton Elementary School starting at 3 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door. Young women will compete for Little Miss Mapleton, Pre-Teen Miss Mapleton, Teen Miss Mapleton, Junior Miss Mapleton and Miss Mapleton.
The 2024 misses include Princess Mapleton Skylaya Darrell, Little Miss Mapleton Adelyn Grace Elliott (who became Little Miss Maine Potato Queen), Miss Preteen Mapleton Aiva Dawn Elliott, Miss Teen Mapleton Carrlyn Buck, Junior Miss Mapleton Molly Kinney and Miss Mapleton Olivia Locke.
Little League
Mapleton Little League registration ends May 9. Players must be between 8 and 12 years old as of May 1.
The Mapleton Little League has been active and growing for around 50 years and has been a summer highlight for generations of area kids.
If you are ready to step up to the plate, sign up now at registration.teamsnap.com/form/25137. For families unable to register online, paper registrations will also be available upon request at the town office.
Lunch in Presque Isle
There was excellent attendance at the April 14 community meal held by the Aroostook Agency on Aging.
Meals will continue weekly through May 19, served at 11 a.m. The nutritious sit-down lunch is for people 60 and older who do not receive home-delivered meals. There is no charge for the meal, but donations are encouraged.
Registration is required. Call the Aroostook Agency on Aging at 207-764-3396.
Lions online auction
The Mapleton Lions Club’s annual auction is online at Matt Gregg Auctions, where bids can be entered. The auction website is greggauctions.com. Items are being added each week until the last night of the auction on May 10.
The final auction evening will be in-person that evening at the Mapleton Lions Hall. The auction is the club’s largest fundraising activity and funds many charitable activities.
The Mapleton Daze Committee will host a public supper prior to the auction. Everyone is invited to dine downstairs at the hall and then come upstairs to the auction. All funds raised will help support the work of the Mapleton Lions Club in our three communities.
Terry Sandusky is the Star-Herald correspondent for Mapleton, Chapman and Castle Hill and can be reached at 764-4916 or at starherald.Tsandusky@gmail.com.
